Milk-bottle cap



F. IVI. HAMMER.

MILK BOTTLE CAP.

APPLICATION FILED DEc.2I, w21.

ISL'QI, Patantad @et MI, @22

v @7% r'ny,

Patented Oct. l0, 1922.

UNTEDA STA FERDINAND M. HAMMER, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

MILK-BOTTLE CAP.

Application led December 21, 1921. Serial No.' 523,864.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, FERDINAND M. HAM- MER, a citizen of the United States, resid ing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and Stato of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Milk- Bottle Caps, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to caps or closures for milk bottles, jars and other vessels, and more particularly to that type of cap for closing milk bottles adapted to be used temporarily while the bottle' is lled or partly filled and to be thrown away after the bottle is emptied.

Caps or closures of this kind are invariably constructed of card board, or similar material, of a thickness that would prevent the ready flexing or bending of the same, particularly on a straight line; and in caps used for this purpose in which provision is made for swinging a portion thereof to permit of pouring out the contents of the bottle, the cap or closure is necessarily made of comparatively thin material, in consequence of which its durability is impaired and the gripping qualities at the edge greatly lessened, with the result that thin l similiar material and yet enable one caps of this kind are found to be unsatisfactory for the purpose intended and do not properly seal the bottle. Moreover, when using caps of this kind, the contents of the bottle becomes soured more easily and is subject' to contamination which, if it does not spoil the contents, will at least effect the taste of the same.

The object of my invention is the provision of a cap or closure of this type which can be constructed of a single thickness of comparatively thick card board or other portion thereof to be swung outwardly with reference to the other so as to provide a pouring orifice while retaining a portion of the cap or closure against its seat provided in the neck of the bottle.

A further object is to so construct the cap or closure that themarginal portion thereof on its inner or under side remains fiush or unbroken and may be tightly seated against the cap-seat formed in the neck of thle bottle.

With these and other objects in view the invention consistsin the novel features of construction and in the arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter declosure.

scribed and more particularly pointed out in the subjoined claims.

In the drawings,-

Fig. l is a perspective view of a milk bottle furnished with my improved cap or Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the same showing the bottle in pouring position with one part of the cap or closure swung outwardly to create a pouring orifice.

Fig/3 is a plan view of my improved cap or closure.

4 is an inverted view of the same.

Fig. 5 1s a vertical section through the upper end of a bottle having my improved cap or closure fitted thereinto, this cap or closure being shown in full vsealing position.

Fig. 6 is a similar view showing one portion of the cap swung outwardly while the other portion is retained in seated position against the seat provided for the cap.

'Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the cap viewed from the inner or under side thereof.

Fig. 8 is a vertical section through the u per end of the bottle taken on line aff-a,

5. eference being had to the detail, like numerals refer the several figures.

drawings in to like parts in The reference numeral 9 designates a bottle which. is provided with a cap or closure-seat 10 at its upper end, this seat being formed by enlarging the internal diameter of the bottle neck at its extreme outer end, as is commonly provided for in milk bottles. v

11 designates my improved cap or closure which is constructed of a single thickness of card board, or. any other suitable material having a certain degree of flexibility but being sufficiently thick to give the necessary firmness and durability required of a cap of this kind in order to withstand the usage to which it is subjected and retain its posi- .tion a ainst the seat provided therefor.

The thlckness of the cap is such that it will not flex along a straight line diametrically or parallel to a diametrical line passing through the cap, such thickness being required to assure the proper binding or impinging effect of the cap at its edge against the surrounding wall rising from the cap seat. This cap is of circular formation and is provided at its edge with` a lip or handle 12. When the cap is forced into the upper open end of a bottle, this lip is bent upwardly or substantially at right angles to the face ofthe cap, as shown in Fig. 1; this being possible due to the fact that the lip is comparatively narrow and the bend is not made along an extended line.

The cap as thus far described does not differ from the regulation cap now 1n use, but in such caps no provision is made for bending one portion of the cap at an angle to another so as to form a pouring orifice without displacing the cap as a Whole, except that the cap is weakened by scoring or reducing the thickness of the material along a straight line from o ne point of the edge of the cap to an opposite point, or by providing grooves which' are extended circularly around the marginal portion of the cap in order to provide a proper seating face for the same a ainst the cap seat formed in the neck of t e bottle.

My improved cap is formed by providing a diametral groove or depression 13, or a straight-lined groove or depression parallel with a plane passing diametrically throu h the cap, said groove or depression being su stantially of V-sha e in cross section, as shown in Fig. 5, an terminating in pointed ends, as at 14, near the edge of the cap. By thus terminating the groove or depression short of the edge of the cap, a smooth portion 15 is retained between each end of the groove or depression 13 and the edge ofthe cap, thus forming a cap with the marginal portion unbroken or smooth-faced throughout so that the cap may be seated securely against the seat of the bottle to completely seal the contents of the latter. This straightlined groove 13 may be formed or pressed into the cap while the latter is in moist condition, either durin or after the making of the card board or ot er material from which the cap is formed; but as caps of this kind are invariably impregnated with paraffin, the straight-lined groove may be formed in the cap while moistened under this treat' ment, or it may be formed at any other time whether or not the same is moistened, as'this depends considerably on the material used. It is of course possible to form a groove of this kind Within the cap when the same is in a dry condition,`when using certain kinds of material, but owing to the custom of supplying new caps to the bottle each time the same is filled, the bottler will invariably select a cheaper grade of material which would not enable the groove to be formed in as clearly defined a manner when dry as when the cap is moistened, but as this invention does not pertain to the method of constructing the cap I do not wish to confine myself to any particular method, as it is quite apparent that this groove may be formed in various ways.

It is to be noted that the groove is formed in the cap from the outer face, which results in a diametral rib or elevation 18 being formed on the inner or under face thereof, and if this elevation were continued to the edge of the cap the latter could not be properly seated against the cap seat of the bottle, As clearl shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 7, two comparatively short smooth-face portions are provided at opposite ends of the groove, and as these portions are only a trifle wider than the width of the cap seat in the bottle, the cap may be easily bent at these points.

The groove 13 divides the cap into two parts 16, 17, and with the cap made of comparatively thick material it may be forcibly pressed into the mouth of the bottle without causinf the same to bend or flex at opposite ends ot the roove. When the caps are thus forced into t e bottle the lip or handle 1Q extends upwardly and may be readily gripped for swinging one part of' the bottle with respect to the other, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. This provides a pouring orifice 19 without removing the cap as a wliole from its seat, and when the desired quantity of the contents of the bottle is poured out, the swing portion 16 may be swung back against the cap-seat, again assuming the position shown in Fig 1 and fully sealing the bottle.

By providing the V-shaped groove, an integral hinge is formed on the ca and by terminating such groove short o the edge of the cap at two points, the unbroken or smooth-faced portions at opposite ends of the groove will, dueto their short lengths, permit of swinging or bending the portion 16 at these points on a straight line with the center of the groove 13. When the swinging portion 16 is returned to normal or closing position, the sealing elfect of the two portions at opposite ends of the groove is not disturbed. It is of course not necessary that the groove be of V-formation in cross section,

since it may be otherwise formed without departing from my invention or sacrificing an of the advantages thereof.

aving thus described my invention, what I claim 1s,-

1. A removable bottle cap formed of a single thickness of material and having a groove terminating at opposite ends short of the edge of the cap at two points to permit one portion of the cap to be swung with reference to the other.

2. A removable disk-like cap for bottles and the like formed of a single thickness of material and adapted to be fitted into the mouth thereof and provided with a groove terminating at opposite ends short of the edge of the cap at two points so that one portion of the cap may be swung with respect to the other to open or close the mouth of the bottle without displacing the cap from the bottle. l

3. A cap for milk bottles and the like conprising a disk formed of a single thickness of material and having a groove terminating short ot' the edge of the cap at two points so as to provide an unbroken surface around the entire marginal portion ot' the cap.

LI. A cap for milk bottles and the like, comprising a disk-like body formed of a sinn gle thickness of material and having a zgroove pressed thereinto from its outer face and ter-v minating short of the edge of the cap at two points so as to provide two smooth portions between such points and the ends of said groove.

5. A cap for milk bottles and the like Comprising a fiat body portion having a V- shaped groove terminating short of the edge of the Cap at two points.

G. A cap for milk bottles and the like oonsisting ot' a somewhat flexible disk-like body portion having a groove pressed thereinto from its upper surface which terminates short of the edge of the cap at two points,

said cap having otherwise a smooth upper and a smooth under surface.

T. A cap formed of a single thickness of material adapted to be inserted into the neck of a botth` and be held therein by frictional Contactv of its edges therewith, said cap being provided with a groove having opposite ends terminating short of the edge at two points thereof to enable 'one portion of the cap to be swung relative to the other, said first-mentioned portion being provided with a lip or handle.

8. A milk bottle cap formed of a. thin sheet ot material provided with a groove eX- tending diametrically but terminating short ot the edge of the cap at diametrically opposite points so as to provide a smooth margina] portion at the underside of the cap.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

FERDINAND M. HAMMER. 

